This article, "Cascading Activation: Contesting the White House's Frame After 9/11," by Robert M. Entman, explores the dynamics of framing in U.S. foreign policy-making following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The author introduces the cascading activation model, which explains how interpretive frames spread from the White House to other elites, news organizations, and the public, and how these interpretations can feed back to influence higher levels. The model supplements previous theories of hegemony and indexing by providing a more detailed explanation of how frames are activated and spread. The article focuses on the initial framing of 9/11 by President Bush, which characterized the attacks as an act of war against evil, and the subsequent challenge mounted by journalists Seymour Hersh and Thomas Friedman to shift the focus from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia. Despite the dominant influence of the Bush administration's frame, the media and some elites did not remain passive. Hersh and Friedman's efforts to highlight Saudi Arabia's role in supporting terrorism eventually gained some traction, particularly during the summer of 2002 when internal Republican divisions over the Iraq War debate brought attention to the Saudi issue. The article concludes that while the media and elites did not always challenge the White House's frame, they were not entirely passive. The cascading activation model helps explain how deviations from the preferred frame can occur, and how these deviations can influence policy and public opinion. The model also highlights the role of cultural congruence in the spread of frames and the importance of elite discord in fostering frame challenges.This article, "Cascading Activation: Contesting the White House's Frame After 9/11," by Robert M. Entman, explores the dynamics of framing in U.S. foreign policy-making following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The author introduces the cascading activation model, which explains how interpretive frames spread from the White House to other elites, news organizations, and the public, and how these interpretations can feed back to influence higher levels. The model supplements previous theories of hegemony and indexing by providing a more detailed explanation of how frames are activated and spread. The article focuses on the initial framing of 9/11 by President Bush, which characterized the attacks as an act of war against evil, and the subsequent challenge mounted by journalists Seymour Hersh and Thomas Friedman to shift the focus from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia. Despite the dominant influence of the Bush administration's frame, the media and some elites did not remain passive. Hersh and Friedman's efforts to highlight Saudi Arabia's role in supporting terrorism eventually gained some traction, particularly during the summer of 2002 when internal Republican divisions over the Iraq War debate brought attention to the Saudi issue. The article concludes that while the media and elites did not always challenge the White House's frame, they were not entirely passive. The cascading activation model helps explain how deviations from the preferred frame can occur, and how these deviations can influence policy and public opinion. The model also highlights the role of cultural congruence in the spread of frames and the importance of elite discord in fostering frame challenges.